Dragonheart: Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern (The Dragonriders of Pern)

From Although not a candidate on the Hatching Grounds, young Fiona, daughter of Fort Hold’s Lord Holder, impresses the only queen-dragon hatchling. She enters the frenzy of feeding, oiling, scratching, and tending the baby dragon as well as learning her responsibilities as a Weyrwoman. Then tragedy strikes as dragons begin to sicken and die. With the fall of Thread looming, will there be enough dragons to fight it? Even though the watch-whers guide and help the dragons fight Thread in the darkness, many dragons and riders are injured. And the threat of Thread is still imminent. The only solution is to send the injured back in time 10 Turns to heal in Ingen, the only empty Weyr. Those living in that past must not become aware of the visitors to avoid influencing events that for the latter have already occurred. When healed, the injured will return to their own time a few days after they left it. Anne McCaffrey’s son meticulously chronicles the creation of a new society at Ingen and maintains the series’ strong portrayal of human-dragon relationships. His second Pern novel further confirms that he is the one to carry the torch of the extremely popular ongoing saga. --Sally Estes Review “The torch has been passed and burns more brightly than ever in this latest chapter of the venerable Pern saga, the first of what one hopes will be many solo efforts by the son of series creator Anne McCaffrey. . . . This stand-alone tale fits beautifully into the existing history and style of earlier books while still breaking new ground.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Todd McCaffrey does something I didn’t think anyone could do: he writes Anne McCaffrey’s Pern. . . . This is Pern, in the hands of a new master-grade harper, carefully trained in the old traditions, but scoring his own ballads. May the saga continue!” –David Weber, author of By Schism Rent Asunder “A dramatic, thoroughly captivating tale, steeped in the lore and well-drawn characterizations of the people and the dragons for which the Pern novels are prized. Fans old and new will be delighted.” –Booklist “Todd McCaffrey has inherited his mother’s storytelling ability. His dragons and fire-lizards, his harpers in Harper’s Hall, carry on the great traditions–and add much to them. Huzzah, Todd! You have learned wisdom indeed.” –Jane Yolen, author of Briar Rose Todd McCaffrey's first solo novel in the classic Dragonriders of Pern series, Dragonsblood, was hailed by critics and embraced by the countless devoted readers of the landmark science fiction saga created by his mother, Anne McCaffrey. Now the chronicles of Pern take another captivating turn as the embattled planet, the brave pioneers who call it home, and the magnificent flame-breathing creatures who fly high to protect it confront a dire new challenge.The grim specter of sickness looms over the Weyrs of Pern, felling fire-lizards and posing a potentially devastating threat to their dragon cousins, Pern's sole defense against the deadly phenomenon that is Thread. Fiona, the youngest and only surviving daughter of Lord Bemin, is just coming of age, and about to assume the duties of a Weyrwoman, when word spreads that dragons have indeed begun succumbing to the new contagion. With the next season of Threadfall quickly approaching, and the already diminished ranks of the dragons once more under siege, every Weyr across Pern is in crisis mode. It is hardly the time for disturbing distractions--such as the strange voice Fiona suddenly hears in her mind at the darkest and most urgent moments. Circumstances and the mood of the weyrfolk worsen when advance patrols relay the dreaded news that black dust--the unmistakable herald of falling Thread--has been sighted. As more dragons sicken and die, leaving only a new generation of weyrlings too young to succeed them, Weyrleader B'Nik and queen rider Lorana arrive from Benden Weyr to comb Fort Weyr's archives in a desperate search for clues from the past that may hold the solution to the plague. But could the actual past itself prove the pathway to salvation for Pern's stricken dragons and the entire imperiled planet? Guided by a mysterious ally from a wholly unexpected place, and trusting in the unique dragon gift for transcending time, Fiona will join a risky expedition with far-reaching consequences for both Pern's future and her personal destiny.From the Hardcover edition. Todd McCaffrey's first solo novel in the classic Dragonriders of Pern series, Dragonsblood, was hailed by critics and embraced by the countless devoted readers of the landmark science fiction saga created by his mother, Anne McCaffrey. Now the chronicles of Pern take another captivating turn as the embattled planet, the brave pioneers who call it home, and the magnificent flame-breathing creatures who fly high to protect it confront a dire new challenge. The grim specter of sickness looms over the Weyrs of Pern, felling fire-lizards and posing a potentially devastating threat to their dragon cousins, Pern's sole defense against the deadly phenomenon that is Thread. Fiona, the youngest and only surviving daughter of Lord Bemin, is just coming of age, and about to assume the duties of a Weyrwoman, when word spreads that dragons have indeed begun succumbing to the new contagion. With the next season of Threadfall quickly approaching, and the already diminished ranks of the dragons once more under siege, every Weyr across Pern is in crisis mode. It is hardly the time for disturbing distractions---such as the strange voice Fiona suddenly hears in her mind at the darkest and most urgent moments. Circumstances and the mood of the weyrfolk worsen when advance patrols relay the dreaded news that black dust---the unmistakable herald of falling Thread---has been sighted. As more dragons sicken and die, leaving only a new generation of weyrlings too young to succeed them. Wyerleader B'Nik and queen rider Lorana arrive from Benden Weyr to comb Fort Weyr's archives in a desperate search for clues from the past that may hold the solution to the plague. But could the actual past itself prove the pathway to salvation for Pern's stricken dragons and the entire imperiled planet? Guided by a mysterious ally from a wholly unexpected place, and trusting in the unique dragon gift for transcending time, Fiona will join a risky expedition with far-reaching consequences for both Pern's future and her personal destiny. In Dragon's Kin, bestselling author Anne McCaffrey did the unthinkable: for the first time ever, she invited another writer to join her in the skies of her most famous fictional creation. That writer was her son, Todd McCaffrey. Together, they penned a triumphant new chapter in the annals of the extraordinarily popular Dragonriders of Pern. Now, for the first time, Todd McCaffrey flies alone. And Dragonsblood is proof that the future of Pern is in good hands. After all, dragons are in his blood. . . . Never in the dramatic history of Pern has there been a more dire emergency than that which faces the young dragonrider Lorana. A mysterious fatal illness is striking dragons. The epidemic is spreading like wildfire . . . and the next deadly cycle of Threadfall is only days away. Somehow, Lorana must find a cure before the dragons-including her own beloved Arith-succumb to the sickness, leaving Pern undefended. The lyrics of an all-but-forgotten song seem to point toward an answer from nearly five hundred years in the past, when Kitti Ping and her daughter Wind Blossom bred the first dragons from their smaller cousins, the fire-lizards. No doubt the first colonists possessed the advanced technology to find the cure for which Lorana seeks, but over the centuries, that knowledge has been lost. Or has it? For in the distant past, an aged Wind Blossom worries that the germs that affect the fire-lizards may one day turn on larger prey-and unleash a plague that will destroy the dragons, Pern's only defenders against Thread. But as her people struggle to survive, Wind Blossom has neither the time nor the resources to expend on a future that may never arrive-until suddenly sheuncovers evidence that her worst fears will come true. Now two brave women, separated by hundreds of years but joined by bonds transcending time, will become unknowing allies in a desperate race against sickness and Threadfall, with nothing less than the survival of all life on Pern at stake. From the Hardcover edition. Dramatis Personae Fort Weyr, AL 507.11.17, Second Interval Fort Weyr, The Next Day Fort Weyr, AL 507.12.20 Fort Weyr, AL 507.13.12 Fort Weyr, Next Morning, AL 507.13.15 Fort Weyr, Seven Days Later, AL 507.13.22 Fort Hold, Morning, AL 507.13.23 Fort Weyr, Afternoon, AL 507.13.25 Fort Weyr, Morning, AL 507.13.26 Fort Weyr, Morning, AL 508.1.13 Fort Hold, Morning, AL 508.1.19 Igen Weyr, Morning, AL 498.7.2 Igen Weyr, Early Morning, AL 498.7.3 Igen Weyr, Morning, AL 498.7.8 Igen Weyr, Morning, AL 498.8.12 Igen Weyr, Morning, AL 498.8.14 Igen Weyr, Late Evening, AL 498.9.8 Igen Weyr, Early Morning, AL 499.13.11 Wherhold, Late Evening, AL 500.8.18 Igen Weyr, Evening, AL 501.3.18 Fort Weyr, AL 508.2.2 None Fort Weyr, AL 507.11.17, Second Interval "...and you wouldn't believe how many holders they've saved over the last ten Turns," Benden Weyrleader M'tal said, continuing to press his case for the watch-whers. The three remaining Weyrleaders had adjourned to Fort Weyr's Council Room to await the Hatching and confer. C'rion of Ista Weyr snorted and shook his head. "I'm sorry, M'tal, but the time's all wrong," he said. "Threads will be falling all to soon and here you are with this radical notion of training dragons and watch-whers to fly Threads together at night." M'tal took a slow, calming breath to stifle the hot retort he wanted to make. He looked expectantly to K'lior. When young Fiona is asked to take on the role of Weyrwoman, the co-leader of an entire dragon Weyr, she soon discovers the challenges of her new position, from unexpected perils to the possibility of losing her own dragon to the sickness that has claimedothers The Dragons Of Pern Are Dying . . . And The Only Person Who Can Save Them Has Been Dead For Over 400 Turns. This Fantasy Is Written By Anne Mccaffrey's Son, Todd, Heir To The Literary World Of Pern.